One Trip Ends, Another Begins!

I fly out today at 5:55 from Chicago to Houston! I've been in South Bend for the past 4 weeks now. I originally rode up with Nick when he drove some furniture up from his parents' house after the 4th of July and planned to only stay for a week. Clearly that didn't happen! Since then I've been keeping busy with building bookcases, going to county fairs, blueberry picking, painting a friend's guest bedroom, going to birthday dinners at LaSalle Grill, interviewing at a temp agency, job hunting, doing tons of dishes, and enjoying Nick's company.

Now, for the new trip! Tonight I get to see my little puppy again! It's been too long. Tomorrow I head to Austin. Tentative plans: dinner with Madison at Pluckers on Friday, Saturday will be jammed pack of fun bachelorette party plans for Miss Stacy Mckenney, soon to be Mrs. Stacy Zwirnemmann (pretty sure I spelled that wrong). I'll fill you in later after the party because the plans are supposed to be a surprise! Sunday will involve lunch with Tracee. And somewhere in between all that, I can't wait to hang out with my little sister. YAYY! My first bachelorette party ever. Can't wait!

Catch Up

A lot has changed since I last posted. At the end of March I moved back to Houston. I am currently living with my parents again, searching for work in Texas. I now have a goal: I want to do fundraising or development for a non-profit. I still have my place in Chicago, I move out the end of August. At that time, I am currently planning to move my stuff into storage in South Bend with the hope of finding a job and moving there within the next year or so. Latane is now engaged. I have visited St. Louis and Atlanta. I played in Sandblast, a Chicago beach tournament. I have started volunteering at the Houston Children's Museum, and I finally got sunglasses that fit my face. Trust me, this last one is a long time coming. I've been searching at least 8 years.

Anyway, I hope to start posting again. If for nothing else, for myself.

Xoxo

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

"Years ago, I knew a boy who made all the wrong choices. He seemed a student like any other. His name was Tom Riddle. Today, the world knows him by another name: Voldemort." - Albus Dumbledore

I went and saw this by myself on opening day in South Bend while Nick was out to dinner with his coworkers. As you all know I LOVE everything Harry Potter so I had very high expectations. To my surprise, the movie came off as a bit of a comedy rather than the seriousness in which I thought was right for the story.

I had hoped with the first several movies that they would be more light-hearted and funny, utilizing Peeves the poltergeist and Fred & George Weasely's natural humor which JK Rowling wrote so well. Instead those movies focused on Harry Potter's natural importance and his adventures without much humor included.

Then, in the movie where Dumbledore dies and the extent of Voldemort's darkness is revealed, they decide to focus more on the awkward romance of teens and the humor that naturally brings. Although well-done, the trailer makes the movie look much more intense than it actually is. Definitely not my favorite movie of the series but I would definitely recommend you see it in theaters. I plan to go see it again in IMAX with my dad when I get back to Houston.

American Idol 2009

I want to preface this post by saying this is the first season I have ever, ever followed American Idol. Saying that makes me feel better because I feel like I've given in and compromised my tv show standards. idk. Anyways, they have narrowed it down to the top 13 so I figured it is finally time to say something about the show.

Is it just me or did the American Idol contestants suddenly get talented out of nowhere? I honestly didn't care about the majority of these people from the 36 pool to now. Like Kris Allen? Who the heck is he and where did he come from? I don't even know which group he was voted in from, but now he's AMAZING! Quite possibly my favorite! Busting out on the guitar! Killer. Plus he's recently married (5 months) which I think is totally adorable. Also, Danny Gokey, the guy who lost his wife, red glasses guy, definitely another favorite. Adam Lambert, the rocker, is a complete baller. He has the stage presence of someone whose record has already gone platinum. I think he is too good to be on American Idol. Okay, so I am writing this as I watch.... Alexis Grace is officially my favorite. The girl who closed the show. Incredible.

On another note, what is with Paula's dancing during each contestant's performance? She looks ridiculous. And she is so annoying with how she interacts with Simon. For heaven's sake, let the man speak. And the stupid feathers on her shoulder, REALLY? If you can't tell, I'm really not a fan of her currently. Maybe that will change over the season, but doubtful.

Anyways, there's my take. Agree? Disagree? Don't care? It's all good with me.


xoxo!

I Miss Green

I'm currently riding on the train to South Bend, IN using my sweet new blackberry, named black betty (ram-a-lam), as a modem so I have access to the internet and am not bored on the way in. While looking outside the window I have noticed that my life has gone from colorful to colorless. The three predominant colors left in my life are white, yellow, and brown. So not an uplifting sight. All I see on the ground is white snow. Everywhere. Matching the white sky. It seems like a completely separate world from the one I was in a few days ago. Occasionally, where the grass has grown too high, or someone has trudged a nice path in the snow, you see yellow, stiff grass. Not a pretty sight. And where there are trees there are no leaves, so all that is left are thin, brown, sad looking branches. I know in the springtime color comes back but it's just so depressing when not even 5 days ago I was in Houston and there was grass, flowers and live trees everywhere. I miss green.

The aftermath of Ike, 4 Months Later

On Friday we went down to Surfside to get a nice seafood lunch for my father's birthday. On the way home we decided to drive back via Galveston to check out the progress and were somewhat shocked by what we saw. The main road that runs along the beach connecting Surfside to Galveston was wiped out in certain places, as shown in picture number 2. At one point it was so bad that we drove almost two miles on the slim stretch of beach, right next to the ocean. Along the way I noticed that almost every store built out over the water was gone. The first photo shows the disconnected pier of one such place. Lastly, and most shockingly, is the 3rd picture. I was floored to see a person's life in that top left room. You can see the mattress positioned in front of the tv, with two dressers against the back wall.

Once on the Strand, it was apparent that not much headway had been made there either. Next to no shops were open, including the old timey ice-cream shop that was a favorite of mine growing up. While talking to the owner of a local bookstore, we were informed that Ike had dumped around 7 and 1/2 feet of water in their store and ruined over 500,000 books. I can't even begin to imagine the financial impact that would have on a local bookstore owner.

FINALLY!!!!!

goodbye to the old...



HELLO TO THE NEW!!!!



I got a Blackberry! Woohoo!!! No more sitting around at the bar after flag football or dodgeball games feeling left out while everyone is on their iphones and Blackberries... I am now officially a part of the cool, professional looking crowd!! No worries, same phone number just a new phone.

xoxo!